Publisher's Letter
One of my most favorite movies is Jesus of Nazareth. One scene that I will never forget occurs when Jesus is on his way to Matthew’s house. More »
It All Comes Down to Mercy
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Last April, Pope Francis published a letter announcing an Extraordinary Jubilee Year dedicated to the mercy of God, beginning on December 8, 2015, and ending on November 20, 2016. More »
In 1947, Corrie ten Boom, a Dutch survivor of the Nazi concentration camp in Ravensbrück, Germany, gave a talk at a church in Munich about forgiveness and mercy. More »
The works of mercy are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in his spiritual and bodily necessities. Instructing, advising, consoling, comforting are spiritual works of mercy, as are forgiving and bearing wrongs patiently. More »
There are two common ways that people prepare for Confession in Lent. They make a list of sins they want to put behind them. Or they review past entries in their prayer journals to identify personal struggles. More »
Revenge. That was the primary motivation that had taken hold of Edmund Dantes, the main character in Alexandre Dumas’ novel The Count of Monte Cristo. More »
Because it can be so painful, many husbands and wives are not open about their need for inner healing. More »
Special Feature
On October 11, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI canonized a nineteenth-century French nun by the name of Jeanne Jugan. I for one took no notice. In the news of the day, I read of the canonization of Damien of Molokai but completely overlooked this second new saint. How fitting, as it turned out. More »
Like St. Francis of Assisi before her, St. Jeanne Jugan relied on daily begging, or “collecting,” to obtain the resources for her charitable mission to the indigent elderly. More »
On Valentine’s Day 1996, I closed the day care center where I worked and walked out into a beautiful winter night lit up by snow falling in soft huge flakes. On my windshield, I discovered a flower. More »
I never imagined I would end up in prison. I had seen gang fights and stabbings in prison dramas on television, so at my sentencing, I was scared. I sat in a chair, handcuffed, facing the judge, hoping she would deliver the lightest possible sentence of five years in federal prison. More »
My father taught me that if you get lost you should stop and ask for directions. For much of my life, I didn’t see myself as lost. More »